WASHINGTON -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, is pushing House GOP leaders to allow a vote on what he describes as a bold conservative alternative to the Affordable Care Act.

Scalise is championing a market-oriented approach introduced in 2013 by the conservative Republican Study Committee he chairs. But Scalise expresses a willingness to have other GOP ideas included in the legislation.

"It's something we've been pushing for a long time," Scalise said in an interview Monday. "Clearly, we want to repeal the health care law that the president passed and replace it with real reforms that lower costs and put patients in charge."

It is important, Scalise said, that the GOP show voters its health care agenda is much more than opposition to the Affordable Care Act.

It now looks like House GOP leaders will do what Scalise wants, though the specific components of the official GOP alternative and timing of a vote are still being worked out.

Scalise, who was elected RSC chairman in January, 2013, in something of an upset -- the organization's former chairs preferred Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga. -- said "there's no pride of authorship, just as long as the GOP bill is "true to conservative, free-market principles."

The RSC proposal would help Americans obtain health insurance by making available tax breaks, including rebates for the poor. It would not, as the Affordable Care Act does, mandate coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, but offer incentives for states to offer policies for people who can't obtain coverage in the private sector.

It also includes a proposal to limit legal liability for medical providers.

Democratic critics said tax breaks don't do as much to help middle class families purchase health coverage as the Affordable Care Act does, and that the high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions would still allow premiums up to double average rates for other policyholders, pricing out many Americans.

On other matters, Scalise said he disagrees with Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who said on a recent interview on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno that last year's 16-day governmental shutdown was a "predictable disaster" with most Americans blaming congressional Republicans.

Scalise continues to argue that the blame rests with President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats for not accepting legislation passed by the GOP-led House to reopen portions of the government where there was bipartisan agreement on spending levels.

Scalise said he hopes over the coming months before the fall mid-term elections that the House passes "lots of conservative bills," even though they are sure to be blocked in the Democratic-led Senate. Americans, he said, deserve to see what a Republican takeover of the Senate majority could mean in terms of future legislation.

On immigration, Scalise's 170-plus conservative coalition has had significant influence -- forcing Boehner to announce last week that it's now unlikely the House will pass comprehensive immigration legislation. Boehner's statement -- that Republicans couldn't trust President Barack Obama to take meaningful action to enforce U.S. borders -- was virtually the identical language used by Scalise..

"Immigrants who came to America legally, like my great grandparents, helped make our country great," Scalise said. "We need to first secure our border and enforce existing laws before we start making other changes to our broken immigration system. President Obama has proven that he cannot be trusted to enforce existing laws fairly, and he needs to reestablish that trust before we will be able to reach a consensus on other changes to our broken immigration laws."

Some pro-immigration groups view the Obama administration differently, suggesting it has been too aggressive in deporting people in the United States illegally -- surpassing totals by the George W. Bush administration.

Not passing an immigration bill has some political consequences for Republicans, just as the government shutdown did. Leading business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which traditionally backs GOP candidates, said businesses need a comprehensive immigration bill to expand operations and fill skilled positions. Critics say that the Chamber just wants a lower-cost source of labor.

Scalise gave a recent interview with Roll Call, reported in a story that ran in Monday's edition, in which he wouldn't rule out a run for House speaker for the next Congress, when his term as leader of the Republican Study Committee runs out.

But in an interview with NOLA.com/Times Picayune he said he isn't running for speaker but is open to any position that allows him to continue "to advance conservative issues."